By Jason Lesley
jlesley@gtowntimes.com
Carvers Bay High graduate Sammy Milton will be captain of the Elizabeth City State University football team next season.
The road to a four-year institution was a long one for Milton that has included Georgia Military Institute and Feather River Junior College.
As a senior, he is ready to make his mark, says Elizabeth City State University coach Waverly Tiller.
"Sammy is a mature leader," Tiller says. "The kids really respect him and they appreciate the fact that he does everything he asks them to do. He is making a difference in the scheme of things here."
Milton is the strongest player on the roster, says Tiller, and at 5-11 and 248 pounds, he caught the eye of some NFL scouts at the Elizabeth City State Pro Day March 3.
"He's a load," Tiller says.
Milton's high school coach, Nate Thompson at Carvers Bay, admires his former player's persistence.
"Sammy came up through the ranks," Thompson said. "He came to us through Kingstree and he was always a hard worker. He played fullback as a junior and tailback as a senior. He was one of those guys that you looked at him and knew he was a player -- easy to coach."
Thompson remembers Milton's leadership ability.
"The kids looked up to him," Thompson said.
Milton attracted the attention of college scouts but his grades proved a stumbling block. He went first to Georgia Military and then to Feather River Junior College, keeping the faith that he would succeed.
"He is too good a kid not to make it," Thompson says. "Once he got a chance to prove himself, Sammy came through."
Elizabeth City State University competes in the CIAA, and NCAA Division II.